Nurses' eating habits in Lebanon during the economic and health crises: a cross-sectional study

Prevalence of dyslipidaemia within Polish nurses. Cross-sectional study - single and multiple linear regression models and ROC analysis

BACKGROUND

Maintaining good health is vital not only for own well-being, but also to ensure high-quality patient care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of dyslipidaemia and to determine the factors responsible for the development of this disorder among Polish nurses. Lipid profile disorders are the most prevalent and challenging risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease. Nurses have significant potential and play a crucial role in providing care and treatment services.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study involved nurses and included measurements of body weight composition (Tanita MC-980), body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure (Welch Allyn 4200B), lipid profile, and fasting blood glucose (CardioChek PA).

RESULTS

The results revealed that more than half of the nurses (60.09%) were overweight or obese, with 57.28% exhibiting elevated blood pressure, 32.25% having fasting glucose levels, and 69.14% experiencing dyslipidaemia. Multiple model evaluation using ROC curves demonstrated that multiple models accurately predicted hypercholesterolemia (AUC = 0.715), elevated LDL (AUC = 0.727), and elevated TC (AUC = 0.723) among Polish nurses.

CONCLUSION

Comprehensive education programmes should be implemented that include the latest advances in cardiovascular disease prevention. Regular check-ups, as well as the promotion and availability of healthy food in hospital canteens, are essential.

Regional Agriculture and Food Systems Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of the Near East and North Africa Region

The COVID-19 pandemic affected agri-food systems worldwide. However, while the impacts differed from one country/region to another, the scholarly literature seems to focus on developed countries in the Global North. Consequently, this review scrutinizes the literature on the pandemic's impacts in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region. A search on the Web of Science in March 2023 generated 334 documents, of which 151 were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review. According to the bibliometric analysis, the most active nations are Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Lebanon. In general, the coverage of studies is better in the Gulf region than in the less developed countries of North Africa and those suffering from wars (cf. Libya, Syria, and Yemen). Studies generally focus on crop production and the downstream food chain (cf. distribution and consumption). While the pandemic influenced every pillar of food security, this research concentrates on access and utilization. Meanwhile, the lion's share of the literature deals with the pandemic's socio-economic effects, especially those linked to food (in)security and health. The pandemic, which laid bare the agri-food system vulnerabilities, should be seized to foster the transition towards more resilient agri-food systems in the NENA region.